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Original poster

Tumble Tots - have you taken your child to one before?

14 replies

tammybear · 16/06/2004 12:05

Has anyone taken their child/ren to a tumble tots before? My dd is 18 months, and we're going to one next Monday and I was just wondering what it is like.

OP posts:

Branster · 16/06/2004 13:09

dd started going to Tumble tots since she was 6m old (as soon as she could sit up really), she's now 2 1/2 and she still loves it. the only downside is the cost, i find it is priced too high for the service but i suppose they have to cover the cost of the equipment and insurance. otherwise i think it's v good for a little child. i found dd got more confident at physical stuff (i.e. climbing up on the playground equipment, catching a ball , rolling over etc) so it does actually benefit her. she'll start nursery in autumn and i think we'll carry on with tumble tots until next spring then try ballet classes alongside and then decide which is better for dd (or more cost effective )
my guess is you'll both enjoy it. quite a lot of my friends have given up on it after a while because of the cost but otherwise they thought it was good.
Enjoy!

tallulah · 16/06/2004 14:35

2 of mine went to Tumble Tots. They loved it & it gave them a lot of confidence. I also liked the discipline of the children having to wait for their turn, but by the time we left the 2nd class they weren't really enforcing this rule, which made it a bit pointless and IMO dangerous.

Hulababy · 17/06/2004 14:40

DD went from 6 months to 18 months. She started in Gymbabes and moved up to TT around a year old. She really enjoyed it and got loads out of it at the time.Howver around 18 months she started finding the first TT class too easy and a bit bored with it. She could do everything they asked of her and more without much help. And I was concerned about the next lass up as it is a lot more structured and more routine. I took DD to TT for pleasure not routine (just what I wanted, not a critisms BTW). DD gets routine and structure at nursery. So we left.

I now use the money I used to spend on regular trips to soft play (uses much of the same skills), library toddler sessions, day trips - farm, Sundown, etc - swimming, etc.

Freddiecat · 17/06/2004 14:46

I started taking DS to TT about 6 months ago as I am pregnant and wanted something we could do together but that I could also carry on taking him to once the baby is born.

DS is just over 2 and is still in walking to 2's class as he's not ready for the structure of the 2 - 3 yet. Problem is he just doesn't seem to enjoy it. Most of the children there seem to love it and climb all over everything. DS isn't the sort of child who likes structured things and last time sat on my lap for the whole session and only moved when I suggested we went home. My mum reckons I'd have loved TT as a child and DP reckons he's had hated it.

Give it a go - they should give you one trial session. If your child loves it then the cost is not too great to bear but if they don't enjoy it so much then it's a bit pricey.

Blu · 17/06/2004 14:50

I think the only thing you can do is try it and see.
DS was most frustrated by the stay-in-line system, got bored v quickly (and therefore disruptive/agitated), wanted to 'do his own thing' on the equipment, and it wasn't really very challenging for him.
At £6 for 45 mins, I thought I could encourage him just as well on ordinary park climbing equipment.
(But mostly I was embarrassed in front of the posh Mums of serenely queuing tots in Dulwich!!!!)

twiglett · 17/06/2004 16:11

message withdrawn

Ixel · 17/06/2004 16:49

What would a 7 month old be doing at gymbabes? I'd like to take him, but he's not crawling or anything, so is it worth it yet?

Ixel · 17/06/2004 16:52

What would a 7 month old be doing at gymbabes? I'd like to take him, but he's not crawling or anything, so is it worth it yet?

clary · 18/06/2004 01:25

Wow had no idea Tumble tots was £6 for 45mins!! Where I lvie the local council runs its own version, 9mo to 3yrs they do their own thing, 3-5yrs they have to take turns/do what they are told etc. I love it. Costs about £2.30 a 45-min session I think (i just pay up each term). My DS1, not the best walker etc, really enjoyed it (in the end) and it really brought him on. DD likes it too but DS2 is the best, enrolled him at 8.5mo, he was walking by 9.5mo and just enjys it so much. Well worth a try I would say!

MadameButterfly · 18/06/2004 07:27

MY DD olves Tumble Tots. She is in the Walking to 2 class which is now very busy, so she is learnig to wait her turn on the equipment as we have to queue up for most of it atm. She will be going to thenext class in September as her birthday is in August.

In Staffordshire we pay £4.25 her age group, Gymbabes is £4 and te next class up is £4.50

Hulababy · 18/06/2004 08:29

Ixel - my DD went to Gymbabes at 6 months and ddn't crawl until 8.5 months. She was, however, standing and cruising holding my hands - so I just helped her along loads. Gymbabes is very much based on parental involvement anyway - so you help them go down the slides, pull them threw tunnels,help them do rolly-pollies (sp?), helping to roll balls, etc. Session also starts with massage time and singing, and ends with singing too - which my DD loved at that age It really helped DD's confidence and stabaility, and she loved interacting with the other children.

I think Gymbabes was great, and TBH if DD didn't have nursery twice a week we may have stayed at TT longer too. Just she grew out of the first TT class around 18 months. She moved into walking class at just gone 10 months, so she'd been in it for ages. Classes were also very busy and with long waitng lists - very few classes round here at moment. And didn't need the discipline of the second class - used to taking turns, sharing, etc. at nursery and already did all that loads. Hence leaving - but all that depends on your own circumstances.

Hulababy · 18/06/2004 08:30

TT website is here

Posey · 18/06/2004 22:00

Blimey, I think TT here (Highbury, North London) is way more expensive. £7.70 per session.
My inlaws got ds a 10 week block for his 1st birthday (4 days after Christmas) and he loved it. I paid for a further 10 weeks of gymbabes.
Then we moved up to Tumbletote and he hated it. Wouldn't go on anything that had a leader supervising it (he's going through a stage of being very wary of unfamiliar faces) So now after feeling very p*ed off at the waste of money, we've given it up.

I can take him 3 times to the local soft play for £7.70 and he has a far better time! But thats just our experience.

Original poster

tammybear · 21/06/2004 11:14

i just took dd to her first tumble tots session. she seemed really bewildered by all the other children but she really enjoyed. didnt like the song time though. she kept walking away lol. she only played with the bat and balls there though as she hasnt come across climbing frames before so i think she was a bit too scared of them

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